Siege of Tortosa (808–809)

The siege of Tortosa was a military campaign by King Louis the Pious of Aquitaine in 808–809. It was part of a decade of intense activity by Louis against the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba in the region of the lower Ebro. The chronology of his campaigns, which must be worked out from both Latin and Arabic sources, is subject to different interpretations.

The siege was begun in 808 by Ingobert, Louis arriving the following year with a larger army and siege train. The earliest reference to trebuchets in western Europe is made in connection with this siege. Louis failed to take Tortosa or force its surrender, but he may have received a formal submission before retiring to his own kingdom. The Arabic sources present him as defeated by a relieving force, while at least one Latin source suggests that the walls were in fact breached.